If you are looking to integrate and transform data one of the most optimized software applications for doing so is SAP Data Services. This platform helps to develop and execute workflows for the extraction of SAP data from various sources that include data stores, web services, applications, and databases. After the data is extracted, it can be processed, integrated, and transformed thereby helping businesses perform real-time analytics and make critical operational decisions.
However, there is more to it. Besides the usual data transformations like filters, calculations, joins, and aggregations, there are a host of other functions of SAP data like auditing, data profiling, geocoding, text analysis, and addressing standardization. SAP data also supports the Change Data Capture (CDC) feature that allows data input for stream-processing data warehouses and systems.
The SAP Extractor Defined
Among the main functions of the software application SAP Data Services is the capability to integrate and transform data. Users can develop and execute workflows to extract SAP data from different sources that include web services, databases, applications, and data stores.
Once the data is extracted, it can be transformed, processed, and combined to help in real-time business analytics. This SAP Data also permits the querying of Data Services, leading to an instant response depending on a pre-defined workflow as well as batch processing which was the older version of data transformation.
The SAP Extractor is a data management feature of SAP that was known as the BW Extractor in the past. It is used to extract SAP data from source systems to be stored in business intelligence systems or downstream data warehouses. The goal of the SAP Extractor is to extract SAP data for feeding SAP BW applications. Moreover, if an SAP client is not using the BW, this option can be used to integrate data with an SAP Extractor.
Types of SAP Extractors
There are three ways that users can extract SAP data with the SAP Extractor.
The first is Application Specific Content Extractors that are used to extract BW content, FI, HR, CO, SAP CRM, and LO cockpit.
Next comes the Application Specific Customer-Generated Extractors that have to be used when there is a requirement to extract SAP data related to LIS, FI-SL, and CO-PA.
Finally, there are the Cross Application Generic Extractors that function on the DB View, Infoset, and Function Modules.
The specific function that is chosen by organizations to extract SAP data depends on their exclusive and specific needs.
The Functions of the Extractor to Extract SAP Data
SAP data is highly optimized to permit applications to query Data Services, leading to a faster response to batch processing (previously known as data transformation) based on a pre-defined workflow. Since the Extractor is a program in SAP ERP, it can be triggered to extract SAP data that can be transferred to BW. It can be either a customized DataSource that provides details of full load delta processes of various types or a standard DataSource. The data transfer component of the program is controlled remotely by the SAP BW.
It is essential to define the load process with an InfoPackage in the scheduler before users can extract SAP data and transfer it to the input layer of the SAP Business Warehouse. The data load process that is a prerequisite to extract SAP data is set in motion by a request IDoc to the source system when the InfoPackage is to be implemented with process chains used for executions.
How the Extractor Works to Extract SAP Data
The SAP Extractors to extract SAP data are specific to the applications being used. The BI Content of the Business Warehouse is delivered after the extractors are hard-coded for the Data Source. However, it is required that the Extractors match the structure of the Data Source.
Users can also use the various types of Extractors to extract SAP data for moving it to the BW. These SAP Extractors can recognize which data needs to be extracted and the tables where data is in read-only form after the Data Source is identified by the generic extractor. All this is possible without human intervention as the working of the SAP Extractors is fully automated.
A user can extract SAP data with an Extractor regardless of the application. For this, the Extractor must contain related database views, master data attributes or texts, SAP query functional areas, or transaction data from all transparent tables. For all these types of data, the Data Source can generically read and transfer data to the BW.
It is therefore not surprising that because of all these cutting-edge features that it offers as an Enterprise Resource Planning product the SAP Extractor has over the years been a leader in this niche of Extractors. Feature for feature, others in the ERP system like Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce, and other competitors have not even managed to come close.
Tool to Extract SAP Data
This post on how to extract SAP data would not be complete without a mention of the highly effective SAP ETL tool. ETL is short for Extract, Transform, and Load. It helps to extract SAP data from multiple sources, transform the data, and load the processed data into a data warehouse or a central storage repository.
The primary benefit of the SAP ETL tool is that it can extract SAP data in its native format regardless of whether it is in an unstructured, semi-structured, or structured form. What makes this tool stand out is that it can extract SAP data and transform it even from outside the application.
In conclusion, it can be said that the SAP Extractor has evolved for meeting the unique needs of the SAP Business Warehouse.
